Do They Come In Blue?
by Woodswolf
Summary: Life sucks. For some, it sucks more than others. *Includes an Alternate Ending*
1. One

_(A/N): I thought I should add this. Oh well._

_Life sucks. For some it sucks more than others._

_This is a peek inside a sukky life._

~(::)~ ONE ~(::)~

I have a seven-inch gash on my left cheek and a scar from a stab wound on my gut.

I have always had to lie about them, say that I got the gash from falling out of a tree, or a car accident, or something else, and I just hide the stab wound, which my mom stitched up herself. My parents make me hide them, and I don't want to be taken away from them. They're the only family I've ever known.

Both of the marks are scarred over, just like my parents' faces. They never change. They always have this 'I'm innocent, it's her fault' look on their faces whenever they enroll me in a new school, or go for an interview to get a new apartment.

And it is my fault, in a way, that I have the marks. I get my dad mad a lot, and I don't know why. I flee to my room, sometimes; but most of the time it only makes it worse.

Not to mention that my parents are always fighting over money. Mom has a few scars, just like I do, but she can cover hers up, at least.

When we moved, I didn't think this move was going to be anything special. Meet somebody and have to lie about my face. Go to a new school. Get used to the new house. Move out whenever they think the authorities are on their tail. New place. New friends. New name.

I don't really have a name. I'm just whatever name my parents tell me to have.

This time, it's Coraline. Coraline Jones.

And this move turned out far better than I'd expected.

_(A/N): It gets worse. Don't worry._

_But once you've hit bottom, it's a lot easier to get to the top._


	2. Two

_(A/N): The action comes soon._

_But not before it gets worse._

_Just wait._

~(::)~TWO~(::)~

My dad illegally deals marijuana over the internet for a living. He always has to move around, change his name every now and then. He drags us along and changes our names, too. I get a new passport every year or so.

I think he smokes some of the stuff he gets from who-knows-where. Maybe that's why he's always hitting me...?

Mom gets the brunt of some of his fits of rage, too, though. She has a few scars, but she can cover them up. I can't hide my face.

Sometimes I think that if I had something... you know, stranger than the scar, that I might be able to pass off as semi-normal in public. People won't have to stare at the scar. Maybe they would have to stare at my ears, or my eyes...

But whatever the matter, I find a door. I searched all around the house for a key (except my dad's study...) and see one that looks old enough to fit.

It does.

But where I had hoped there was a passage or something, somewhere I could hide from my dad, there's nothing. Red bricks.

I close the door and turn around to see my mother standing there.

She tells me that lunch will be ready in a little while, and then I leave the door behind me.

_(A/N): Sukky lives always have sukky ends._

_Remember that._


	3. Three

_(A/N): You can probably tell by now who she fears._

_You also can probably tell who is in power._

_So you can assume a third thing._

_And it may or may not be true._

_You won't know until chapter four.  
><em>

~(::)~THREE~(::)~

That night, I dream. But I wake up from a noise coming from downstairs. I want to go investigate, so I stealthily crawl down the stairs (memories...) to check out the noise, but pretend to get a drink of water (more memories...).

There it is, again. It's louder. I'm closer.

A creaking sound.

I walk towards the living room, hoping that my dad's not in there...

And the door in the corner, the one that had bricks behind it is cracked open.

And there's light streaming from under it.

I walk over and open the door.

Inside there is a tunnel. It is a dark tunnel, and feels foreboding. There is a dim light at the far end.

Then I hear the stair creak.

_Oh, shit!_

I shut the door behind me, and quickly crawl away into the passage.

_(A/N): I think this is it for tonight._

_I don't know, maybe we'll get to meet the OPs (Other Parents - It's just so easy to use the abbreviations, like OM for Other Mother, OF for Other Father - which is different from O**M**F for Other Miss Forcible - and OW for Other Wybie, etc.) tonight, but I don't know._


	4. Four

_(A/N): In my examinations, I've realized that the dominant figure in the Other World is the one who has the most power over the child. They are the one whom the child does not care for the best. They are the one that may or may not be scarier, that they may or may not get into arguments with, and that they may or may not have much in common with them._

_And so, find the dominant parent._

~(::)~FOUR~(::)~

When I reach the other door, I open it silently and see what the tunnel leads to.

It leads to my house.

But... it's not my house. Something's different.

Maybe it's the wallpaper? It's a different color, maybe?

Something in the air seems stranger, though, and I can't tell what it is.

"Coraline?"

It's a man's voice, calling from down the hall.

It sounds eerily similar to my father's. I'm about to bolt when the man comes from around the corner.

"Come here, Coraline. It's okay."

I turn around and look at the man.

He has black buttons in place of where his eyes should be.

I'm satisfied that this man isn't my father. I'm strangely curious about the buttons, as they feel much warmer than my father's reddish-orange eyes. Much more caring.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"I'm your Other Father, honey. Come give me a hug."

I walk to him and hug him awkwardly. He gives me a nice, comforting bear hug that seems to make all of my troubles melt away...

I love him already. The best part about him is that he doesn't even seem to notice the gash...

I'm sure I'm dreaming by now. There's no way this can be real. It's everything I've ever wanted out of someone, and now it's here.

I'm dreaming.

And yet I have to crack a smile, for the first time in forever.

"Do you want something to eat, Coraline? Or should I call you Lily?"

How he knew that, I have no idea. But Lily was my favorite name in the world. I had it when I was little - I think it was back before my father got all caught up in the drug dealing business.

"Yes," I smile.

"Hop on, then, kiddo!" he says, and he gives me a piggy-back ride to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, there's another lady. I figure she's my Other Mother, since this guy's my Other Father.

The Other Father sits me down in one of the nice chairs and sits down in another one himself. "Mother, get us something!" he calls to the lady. She turns back to display her black button eyes and smiles sweetly before starting to cook something on the stove.

Meanwhile, my father sings to me.

"You're my little Lily,

My little passionflower,

You're my little star

That sparkles on the hour,

You're my little doll,

My cute, kind sweetie-pie,

You're my little Lily,

And Lily, you are mine."

My Other Mother brings out a delicious meal of chicken. We all eat, and then I go to bed.

_(A/N): This is the first. The second is coming._


	5. Five

_(A/N): The story is completely finished now. There actually was an alternate ending I had to cut due to inconsistent details. If you'd like to read the alternate ending, I can post it if I get enough interest. I would have to type it up, and it replaces roughly everything from this chapter on. So it would take a while, and be really long._

~(::)~FIVE~(::)~

I shiver.

"You seem scared," the Other Father says. "What's bothering you?

I'm in my other bedroom. My Other Father is sitting on a chair near my bed, talking to me.

"I'm afraid that when I go to sleep, I'm going to wake up and find that this was all a dream. I don't want it to be a dream."

He smiles his kind, caring, bent smile. "You know, there is a way we can make sure that that doesn't happen."

"What's that?" I ask.

He pulls a small box out of his shirt and hands it to me. I open it slowly, first undoing the ribbons tied around it, and then taking off the cover.

Inside are two black buttons, a spool of thread, and a sewing needle.

"Black is traditional. But you could have pink..."

The buttons in the box become bright pink, then slowly fade to black.

"...or vermillion..."

They flash a fire orange and fade away.

"...or chartreuse..."

They change to a spring green color.

I pause, considering.

"Do they come in blue?" I aks.

"They can."

And then his buttons flash through a billion shades of blue before finally fading to black.

I consider what he's told me.

"I think I'll go home and tell my mother my decision before I get them, okay? Keep them for me."

"Bye bye, Lily."

And then I'm asleep.

_(A/N): This is the end of the Other World._


	6. Six

_(A/N): What happens next you will have to read on for._

~(::)~SIX~(::)~

I awake to shouting. A lot of shouting.

I knew it was a dream. I'm back home now.

I hear my father shouting. I hear my mother screaming in pain.

"CORALINE! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THIS!"

I don't know what I did. But I peek out my door and see my father running down the hall, a look of pure hatred in his red eyes.

I scream and run for the stairs. He touches my hair and I run faster. I hear my mother shouting.

"No! I did it! I DID IT!"

A third set of feet hit the stairs.

I know what I need. I hope it's not...

_You know, there is a way to make sure that doesn't happen..._

I run for the living room.

_Pink... or vermillion... or chartreuse..._

I slide to the door.

_Do they come in blue?_

I open it.

_They can._

There are red bricks behind it.

I turn around and see my father.

And I begin to scream when I see the knife.

It's the last thing I ever do, besides bleed and die.

_(A/N): Still the epilogue left, and possibly the alternate ending._


	7. Epilogue

_(A/N): This is the end._

~(::)~EPILOGUE~(::)~

911 CALL RECORDING: 07:34 AM PST. ASHLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT.

"Help! Help! My husband is trying to kill our daughter!"

"Calm down, ma'am. Where are you, and why is your husband trying to kill her?"

"I'm in my home, and I have no idea why the hell - NO!"

Empty air.

"Ma'am?"

"She's dead. There's no difference now."

"Ma'am, I'm going to get the chief over there and take both you and your husband into custody. Stay in your house. If you leave, you will be shot on sight."

"Sir?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"My husband has been dealing drugs over the internet for around seven years now... marijuana, cocaine, stuff like that. Please get the cops over here quickly. He's a madman."

"I will tell the chief that. That may shorten your jail time if you are found guilty."

"Thank you."

CALL ENDED.

_(A/N): This is the end of a call and a life. This is the end of the story._

_But it can continue, if you like, in another reality._

_PM me or review about it and I will post the alternate ending if enough interest is shown. In other words, even if only one person cares, it's going up._

_But for now, I'd like to thank some people._

_**Marquis Carabas**, for being a friend._

_**Death101 - Fox Version** for reviewing._

_**Synonyms**, because 'village stalkers' are awesome. (Inside joke between me and myself)_

_**Niel Gaiman** and **Henry Selick** for writing and directing Coraline._

_And finally, a dedication, something that my other stories have lacked._

**_This is dedicated to the different, the rejected, the abused, the enslaved, the poor, the sick, the hungry, and those with no hope._**

**_May there be something to turn to._**


	8. Alternate Ending

_(A/N): A few words on the flow of this, and an explanation of where the split (between this thing's 'canon' and the alternate ending) occurs and how it's possible._

_Okay, so first thing, this starts at the very end of Chapter Four - it's just the last sentence, revised so that the events portrayed in Chapter Five never occur. Go ahead and picture the OF (Other Father, you should know my love of initals by now) and OM kissing Coraline (or Lily, or whatever the fuck you wanna call her) goodnight if you need to._

_Finally, where the split occurs is right at the end of Chapter Four. As I said, Chapter Five doesn't exist, so Chapter Six is ~technically~ Chapter Five. Confusing, right? XD_

_The effects of the split, however, REALLY occur in Chapter Six (~aka~ Chapter Five - ugh, I'm tripping over my three left feet) where Coraline runs JUST FAST ENOUGH that her dad isn't right behind her. How is this implied? A sentence showing that her dad's hand touched her hair has been removed. Thus, the No-See-Ums Condition is kept true, enabling Coraline to run through the door (no bricks) and safely head to the Other World and disappear, while her parents can open that thing all they want and find bricks._

_What is the No-See-Ums Condition, you ask? The No-See-Ums Condition, in simple logic, is:_

_**NO-SEE-UMS CONDITION:**_

_**If **__parents/guardians/other adults (an adult can tell that it's not a dream - a kid can't, especially one who may be mildly depressed; both book!Coraline and movie!Coraline are, actually) are unable to reach a position where the tunnel will be in view_

_**Then**__ the tunnel can be activated and traveled without fear from the beldam of witnesses and/or preventative measures._

_In other words, since the dad's a bit farther behind her, Coraline can be a real fucking speed demon and get out of there before her dad fucking murders her._

_That's also why the tunnel wasn't there in the original: her dad was pretty much RIGHT behind her. He probably could have stabbed her on the stairs if he wanted to, but it would throw him off balance and he fall on the stairs, thus letting her escape to the Other World by the No-See-Ums Condition being true._

_Sorry about this long A/N, I just had to justify to myself the exact WHY that this would still have worked. Because I cut it because I thought it wouldn't, and that's why the Chapter Five you all know and love is in the original._

_Read on, people!_

* * *

><p>~(::)~ALTERNATE ENDING~(::)~<p>

My Other Mother brings out a delicious meal of chicken. We all eat, and then I go to my other bedroom and fall asleep.

* * *

><p>~(::)~CHAPTER FIVE~(::)~<p>

I awake to shouting. A lot of shouting.

I knew it was a dream. I'm back home now.

I hear my father shouting. I hear my mother screaming in pain.

"CORALINE! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THIS!"

I don't know what I did. But I peek out my door and see my father running down the hall, a look of pure hatred in his red eyes.

I scream and run for the stairs. I hear my mother shouting.

"No! I did it! I DID IT!"

A third set of feet hit the stairs.

I know what I need. I hope it's not...

I run for the living room.

_"You're my little Lily,_

_My little passionflower..."_

I slide to the door.

_"You're my little star_

_That sparkles on the hour..."_

I open it.

_"You're my little doll,_

_My cute, kind sweetie-pie..."_

The tunnel opens before me. I crawl in and slam the door. Then I crawl on, back to my better father.

_"You're my little Lily,_

_And Lily, you are mine..."_

* * *

><p>~(::)~CHAPTER SIX~(::)~<p>

I crawl through the door on the other side. My Other Father - no, my father - is waiting there. I run to him and hug him, and he hugs me back.

"I don't want to go home!" I cry. "I want to stay here! Please!"

"Once you go to sleep, you'll wake up, just like last night. Or... there is a way to stay," he says.

"Really? How?"

"Come in the kitchen with me, Lily."

I follow him into the kitchen, and he presents me with a small box, which I open slowly, first untying the ribbon wrapped carefully around it, and then taking the lid off the box.

Inside, there are two black buttons, a spool of thread, and a needle.

"Black is traditional... but you could have pink..."

The buttons in the box become bright pink, then slowly fade to black.

"...or vermillion..."

They flash a fire orange and fade away.

"...or chartreuse..."

They change to a spring green color.

I pause, considering.

"Do they come in blue?" I ask. Blue was always my favorite color.

"They can."

And then his buttons flash through a billion shades of blue before finally fading to black.

"Thank you."

The Other Father picks up a needle and threads it, and picks up one of the buttons, which suddenly turns a shade of blue a bit darker than azure.

"Don't worry, darling, this will only hurt a bit."

* * *

><p>~(::)~EPILOGUE~(::)~<p>

Shh...

It's not listening anymore. It's not a he or a she, it's an it. The others told me. One had it be a mother. I had a father. It's anything it wants to be and more.

Four score and seven years ago, I died.

But before death, I finally gained something for people to look at besides the scar on my face, and I end up dead in a place where all they'll do is stare at my scar, because the buttons are normal, and there isn't much else to do besides feel your essence rot away with each passing second.

But before I died, I actually had some fun for a little while. It was great to spend time with my father. While it lasted, anyway. The end was horrible, but painless. Poison, as far as I can tell. There are no new markings.

At least this purgatory is better than what would have happened otherwise.

Or I hope so, anyway.

* * *

><p><em>(AN): I didn't want to put any A/Ns in the middle of this, so here they are!_

_There's actually only one. I hope I gave you a bit of deja vu with the paraphrase the OM's line in the movie - "Your better father, dear." - and with the song._

_Part of the reason I picked the other ending was also that it was so unexpected. I had to get the buttons in there somewhere, though, the thing it's named after, so that's where the Chapter Five we all know and love came from._

_I hope you enjoyed!_

_By the way, feel free to read some of my other stuff - if you were in this thing for the death/tragedy, or the Coraline stuff, I've got a lot of crap you can read!_

_Bai bai, peoplez!_

_FIN._


End file.
